Elevator



3 Smeets-Sheer,Y 1. C. E. REID. ELEVATOR.

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C. E. REID.

ELBVATOR. I I

No. 486,794. Patented Nov. 22, 1892.

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W/TNESSES INI/ENTOH C/arli dez'd MW 7M? By MM/N573 A TTOHNE YS C. E.REID. 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

ELBVATOR.

No. 486,794. Patented Non. 22, 1892.k

A TTOHNE YS UNITED STATES PATENT' OEEICE.

CHARLES E. REID, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURT.

ELEVATOR.V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 486,794, dated November22, 1892.

Original application tiled September 27, 1888, Serial No. 286,492.Divided and this application filed April 21,1890. Renewed June 2, 1892.Serial No. 435,248. (No model.)

.T0 all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, CHARLES E. REID, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented new and useful Improvements in Elevators for Letters andother Articles, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to elevators for the conveyance of letters andpackages from a lower to ahigher story in dwellings and other buildings,so that letters and other articles dropped into the elevator in thelower story can be raised to such higher story with facility or beconveyed from a higher to a lower story. It is intended that each storyshall have its own elevator and its own separate well, as is alsoprovided in my Letters Patent No. 302,776. The letter or article to becarried up is deposited by the postman in the lcarrier of the elevatorthrough a drop-box provided with a door, and his action in opening thedoor of the drop-box causes a signal to be given on the floor where thetop of the well of the elevator is situated. The signal may be visualand also audible. The occupant of said floor on hearing or seeing thesignal proceeds to operate the elevator, so as to fetch up the carrier,to which he can obtain access through a door placed inthe upper part ofsaid well. Having taken out the letters from the carrier, the operatorreleases the door, which immediately closes, and at the same time thecarrier is released and descends to its former position, ready foranother operation.

The construction and arrangement of the several parts relating to thepresent invention and their operation are described in thisspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a vertical central section lof an elevator-well,showing the carrier in position in the lower part of the well ready toreceive letters from the drop-box. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of thecarrier (in part) in its well and of the drop-box, the section beingtaken on the line o o of Fig. 3. This Fig. 2 shows how the signal givenon the opening of the drop-box may be given by electrical means.

Fig. 3 is a vsection taken on the bent line z z of Fig. 2 through thedrop-box. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the bent line y y ofFig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5, showing theannunciator device and the spring-stop, which arrests the descent of thecarrier. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line of Fig. 4,looking in the direction of the arrow.

The present application is a division of my application for LettersPatent for an improvement in elevators tiled by me September 27, 1888,Serial No. 286,492.

The letter A designates an elevator-well, in which is placed a carrierB, that runs up and down in the well, being drawn up by a suitablehoisting apparatus. (Not shown.) In Fig. l is shown the lower part ofthe well, in which is seen the carrier B, resting on the upper edges ofa platform E, which is supported on a spring F, whose lower end rests ona partition G, vextending across a casing l-l, fitted in the lower partof the well. The platform E is adapted to slide in the casing H as fardown as the shoulderl. The platform E consists of a frame whose verticalsides are connected by a horizontal piece. The height to which theplatform E can be pushed upward by the spring F is limited by theshoulder J in the sides of the well. The carrier Bin its lowerposition,Fig.

l, comes opposite a lglazed door K, made in one of the sides of thewell,and a window L is provided in the corresponding side of thecarrier, so that the interior of the carrier and its contents can beseen through them. The carrier is also provided on one of its sides witha slide M, by raising which access is had to the interior of the carrierto remove its contents when it has been moved upto the proper floor. Thecarrier, as represented in Figs. l and 2, is in position so receiveletters orother articles, its front side, which is shorterthan its othersides, being opposite the drop-box P, as'shown in said Figs.' l and 2,the drop-box being placed in an opening made for that purposein thelower part of the well. The dropbox P is provided with an inlet Q, whichis closed by an inner door R, which door is opened by means of crank Sand is closed by means of the weight of arm 4, the crank S, as Well asthe arm 4, being fixed to the same axle 56 as is the door R and turningwith it. The

arm 4 constitutes a counter-weight to the door IOO R to close the sameautomatically, being properly weighted to give the proper counter-poiseto insure the reclosing of the door R after the crank or lever S hasbeen released by the person who has inserted the mail-matter or otherarticle. Where the arm 4 is not made of the proper weight in the firstinstance, it may be provided with an angle 57 to receive anycounterpoise-weight required. Letters or articles introduced through theinlet Q pass into the carrier over the inclined plane U. Before the doorRhas been opened as far as the star the arm T, which projects inwardfrom the axle of the door R, has been moved against the lever V so as toturn the bell-crank VW and thereby pull the bell-wire X and ring thebell (not shown) connected therewith on the upper door, and at the sametime operate the visual annunciator, (see Figs. 4 and 5,`) thearrangement being such that no mail-matter or other article can beinserted through the dropboX into the carrier until the bell has beenrung, as the door R does not reach the place of the star (ik) until thebell has been rung.

If it is so preferred, the opening or partial opening of the drop-boxcan be made to operate the signal by means of electricity, asillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, where the opening of the door R of thedrop-box as far as to within, say, one sixteenth of `an inch of the starcauses the arm T, whose upper surface is covered with porcelain Z orother suitable non-conductor of electricity, to bring into momentarycontact with each other the ends of the wires l 2 of battery 3 and closean electric circuit through them, and thereby operate the hammer of thebell and the bell-crank 4 5 of the annunciator above mentioned, both ofwhich are placed in or near the story to which the carrier is to behoisted or on which theoperatorlives. Theendsofthewiresl2are arranged insuch a manner as to spring apart and break the circuit when the arm TZhas passed by or ceased to act on them. The further movement of the doorR opens the dropbox, so as to allow of the introduction of letters andother articles into the carrier. The signal, which is operatedautomatically by the opening of the drop-box, informs the occupants ofsaid story that the carrier contains letters or articles for them, andthey thereupon proceed to operate the hoisting apparatus and hoist thecarrier up to their story.

The apparatus is provided with a visual signal or annunciator. (Shown inFigs. 4 and 5.) It is operated by the same wire X that operates thesignal-bell. The annuncator consists of a slide 44, which is connectedto wireX by a bell-crank 45. The slide 44 is mounted in a frame 46, setin an opening 47 made for it in the wall of the well above the door 34,which is a door made in the well at a place opposite the point to whichthe carrier is hoisted, so as to allow access to the carrier. The frontof the opening 47 is protected by glass, so that the slide can be seenfrom without. The slide 44 carries a disk 48, which is carried by themovement of the slide toward the left in Fig. 5, so as to cover theopening 49 made in the frame 46. The return movement of the slide iseffected by the spring 50, which acts automaticallythe moment the door34 is opened, thus carrying the disk 48 of the annunciator out of view.The annunciator can be operated and the disk 48 be brought into viewwhile the door-` 34 remains closed, and the slide 44 is locked in itsposition toward the left by means of a. catch 62, which holds the slide44 stationary against the force of spring 50, said catch being connectedwith the door 34 in such a manner that when the said door is opened anarm 63, projecting inward from it, releases the slide 44 through theagency of lever 64, and the spring 50 is allowed to exert its force tore move the disk 48 from the front of the opening 49 by restoring theslide 44 to its former position.

When the carrier has been hoisted, it rests upon the spring-stop 30,Figs. 4 and 5, which is hinged at its lower end at 3l in a recess in theside of the well, while its upper end is pushed outward by a spring 32.The stop 30 is provided with an antifriction-roller 33 at its upper end.When door 34 is being closed, the arm 35 strikes the spring-lever 36,whose longer arm engages with the upper end of the spring-stop andsuddenly withdraws the latter inward from beneath the carrier and thecarrier drops to its lower position, the arm 35 meanwhile passing thelever 36 and allowing it to resume its normal position, ready for arepetition of the operation when the door is again shut.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In elevators for letters and other articles, the carrier B, incombination with the dropbox P, door R, insulated arm T, battery 3, andwires l. 2, and signal-bell, substantially as described.

2. In elevators for letters and other articles, the carrier B, thedrop-box P, door R, and arm T, in combination with the disk 48 and slide49 and the parts connecting the same with the lever VNV, substantiallyas shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence ot` twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. REID.

Witnesses:

R. W. MULLINs, W. W. JOHNSON.

TOO

